Replace factory "roller skate" front pads on 2011 SS?

[W.E.G.]

Should I install these Wilwood pads on my 2011 SS?

It looks like Wilwood sent me the wrong hardware kit.
Except for the absence of “roller skates,” the pads look like they are correct size.

Although it goes against the conventional wisdom that dictates, “Don’t reuse brake hardware,” I think I can re-use the hardware parts (pins and clips) from the OEM pads. The OEM pins and clips they cleaned up OK. But, I’m not especially happy about it. Most of all, I don’t want to outright botch the job. I’m pretty handy with cars, but I’m not a professional these days.

Please look at the pics that follow, and provide advice. If it were your car, would you go ahead and install the Wilwood pads with the old pins and clips?

I get it that the "roller skate" design of the OEM Brembo pads that came on the car at time of sale may be now obsolete. That is, there appears to be some consensus on the Camaro5 forum that the "roller skates" on the pads are at least unnecessary, if not outright a failed attempt at mitigating brake noise.

[W.E.G.]

End-flap of the Wilwood box

[Clarkstar]

It shows there for a camaro, I see no reason why not to run them. The hardware that is different is probably for other cars...it says fits Cadillac, Buick. Mitsubishi...a few
different cars...run em!

[W.E.G.]

In the process of trying to figure out just exactly where I am with this, I notice that the repair instructions in the Helm manual show clips (referred to as "springs" in instruction number 13) that look very much like those I received with the Wilwood pads.

Problem is, those instructions pertain to the "LLT" model - which I understand to be the V6 car.

I know very little about the V6 cars. Did they come with four-piston Brembo brakes (or any sort of four-piston brake - whether Brembo or generic)?

[W.E.G.]

Pic of the backside of the Wilwood pads for interest

[Clarkstar]

I don't think you need any of the hardware, it's for a different application. Simply remove the pins, remove old pads...clean up the pins and reinstall with new pads. Done...

[W.E.G.]

Originally Posted by Clarkstar

I don't think you need any of the hardware, it's for a different application. Simply remove the pins, remove old pads...clean up the pins and reinstall with new pads. Done...

This is comforting.

Fair to say I'm stressing about this a lot.

I know the Wilwood pads are popular with members here. I'm wondering whether anybody else has run into this wrong-hardware-kit issue with this particular part-number, and just soldiered on as you suggest.

I almost wish they had just left-out the hardware kit. I've got this nagging voice in the back of my head telling me I'm going to really regret putting V6 pads in the brakes for a V8 car. That said, I just looked up the Wilwood pads for the V6, and they look nothing like the pads I have. Although I can see where my hardware kit would fit the Wilwood V6 pads nicely! http://www.wilwood.com/BrakePads/Bra...ption=V-6+only

Many thanks for your input. It truly is appreciated.

[Clarkstar]

I changed my pads last fall... they also came with the hardware. I threw it in the trash. Pins out, pads out, clean...new pads, pins in. It's that simple...

[W.E.G.]

OK.

I went and did it. I used the Wilwood pads with the old GM hardware. It works. I lived.

That should cover it for the TLDR crowd.

Notes follow.

[W.E.G.]

I sent a polite email to Wilwood, explaining that they furnished the wrong hardware with the pads.
I asked them to please send me the correct hardware. We shall see how Wilwood responds.

My car is now seven years old, but I've only owned it since mid-2017.
I believe the exisiting pads and rotors (prior to the this week's replacement) were the original brakes on this car.
The pads and rotors all measured to be about halfway to the "discard" spec.
For there to be still that much brake material after 32,000 miles, the previous owner must have driven it very gingerly.
Well except for the receipt for a control arm and a strut that I found in the glove box.
Handiwork of the second owner. One of these days, her licorice-scent perfume odor in the interior will abate. I hope.

The hubs were expectedly heavily rusted. Much PB-Blaster and "Thumb-Locator" action was required to free the old rotors from the hubs.
Once the rotors were freed, the hubs got plenty of wire-brush action, and then a coating of anti-seize. I wiped-off all but the thinnest film.
I hope I own the car long enough to reap the benefits of my clean-up efforts.

Removal of the caliper bolts was an interesting experience. The existing bolts were in there tight as the bejeezus.
Even after the bolts were broken-loose, they were still very difficult to turn. I could see yellow residue of the threadlocker used during original installation.

The Helm manual calls for installation of NEW CALIPER BOLTS any time you are re-installing calipers.
This admonition pertains to front-wheels and rear-wheels caliper bolts. I installed new bolts as directed.
The rear-caliper bolts were plain and simple. Torque spec for the rear-caliper bolts called for 30 foot-pounds plus 90 degrees.

The FRONT CALIPER BOLTS were a whole different animal. First of all, the existing bolts were in there SO TIGHT
that I could not loosen them with the Milwaukee Fuel M18 impact wrench with an impact elbow.
I was having to work at about a 30-degree angle, so that explains some of it.
The only way I was able to free the existing bolts was to use a long cheater bar.

The manual calls for 44 foot-pounds plus 90 degrees for the front caliper bolts.
Let me tell you, that yellow threadlocker that comes on the GM bolts will really fight you during installation.
By the time I got the new bolts within three turns of bottoming-out, I was pulling considerably more than 44 foot-pounds.
The closer the bolt got to bottoming, the more they were fighting back. Before the bolt-head bottomed against the caliper,
that yellow threadlocker had me pulling major torque.
I finally just said, "The hell with it," and I laid on the trigger of the Miwaukee impact wrench with the elbow attachment,
and ran it until it bottomed, and the gun would turn it no further.

Maybe there is some magic for cleaning the threads of the caliper before installing those new bolts with the yellow threadlocker.
From my experience today, I can tell you that you probably won't be doing by-the-book torque-wrench procedure.

If you read my posts above, you can tell I was really stressing about whether I actually received Wilwood pads that were correct for the SS Camaro.
I mean, if Wilwood can't get the right hardware in the box, why should I believe Wilwood got the right pads in the box?

I compared the no-roller-skate Wilwood pads to the roller-skate pads I pulled off the car. The comparison looked like it could be OK.
Not wanting to have to re-do the job, I bought a second set of pads: Carquest "Platinum" brand from Advance Auto.
The Carquest pads even have the roller skates. After online-purchase discounts, and "Speedperks" points, I got the Carquest pads for about $30.
What value peace of mind? The Wilwood pads also compared favorably to the Carquest pads.

Armed with a fair amount of confidence that I wasn't installing the the incorrect part, the job went very smoothly.
The only thing I know I botched was I kicked over one of my wife's flower pots on the border of the driveway. I can live with that.

Pics follow:
The beast Milwaukee impact, and the beastly bolt with yellow threadlocker.
Annotated pic of comparison of Wilwood no-skate pad to the Carquest skate pad.

[W.E.G.]

Link to related thread regarding bleeding brakes:
http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showth...7#post10092537